Electric shaver cabinet



Jan. 5, 1965 E. A. NORMAN 3,164,421

ELECTRIC SHAVER CABINET Filed Jan. 17, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet l FIG-l ERIC A. NORMAN A TTORNE Y 1965 E. A. NORMAN 3,164,427

ELECTRIC SHAVER CABINET Filed Jan. 17, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ERIC A. NORMAN I l VENTOR. F|e 5 a 5 1 ATTORNEY United States Patent M 3,164,427 ELECTRIC SHAVER CABINET Eric A. Norman, 4456 W. Mercer Way, Mercer Island, Wash. Filed Ian. 17, 63, Ser. No. 252,184 1 Claim. (Cl. 312-409) This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in a decorative wall cabinet for holding an electric shaver and more particularly to a wall cabinet for electric shavers containing its own electrical supply outlet and switching feature and which is capable of being installed in any advantageous position with respect to a Wash room medicine cabinet and mirror.

Most users of electric shavers have exeprienced difficuh ty in finding a convenient location for their electric shavers. Removal of the cord and return of both cord and shaver to the kit or box in which they are sold is troublesome and annoying. Also the practice of wrapping the cord around the shaver and placing it on a shelf in a closet or the medicine cabinet is aggravating because of the tendency of the cord to uncoil and fall off the shelf whenever the cabinet or closet door is opened.

The present invention is designed to eliminate these inconveniences, disadvantages and annoyances by providing a small decorative wall cabinet which may be placed in any position with respect to the medicine cabinet so that the door thereof will open by swinging away from the medicine cabinet. In brief, the invention comprises a small square or rectangular cabinet sufficiently deep to hold an electric .shaver and its cord. The shaver itself when placed in the cabinet rests in a cradle attached to the inside surface of the cabinet door with the cradle pivotally mounted so that the cradle can be set at any desired angle. The cabinet contains a conventional plug-in type electrical outlet connection for the shaver cord and a microswitch which actuates the plugin connection only when the door is fully opened.

If the cabinet is mounted to the left of the medicine chest the plug-in connection and microswitch will be on the bottom wall of the cabinet and if mounted to the right of the medicine chest would be on the top wall of the cabinet. Similarly if the cabinet were mounted below the medicine chest the plug-in connection and micro switch would be located on a side wall. Thus it will be seen that the cabinet with only one basic design is adaptable to any position. Only rarely would it be mounted over the medicine chest but if desired this invention is fully capable of serving its function in such position. The cord of the shaver itself can be plugged in and left that way. The shaver would be inoperable as long as the door was either partially or fully closed, since the switching feature is designed so that the plug-in connection is electrically actuated only when the door is fully opened.

Thus it can be seen that the objects of this invention are to present an attractive, compact, inexpensive and versatile holder cabinet for an electric shaver and which cabinet is also convenient and simple to install.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the following discussion of the construction and operation of this invention. Reference will be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective of this cabinet with the door open showing the nature of the cradle and the manner in which the door is constructed;

FIGURE 2 is a partial view in perspective with some parts cut away to show the approximate position of the electrical plug-in connection and the microswitch actuator for opening and closing the electrical circuit;

FIGURE 3 is a diagrammatic rear view showing the electrical connection to the plug-in and the microswitch;

3,164,427 Patented J an. 5, 1965 FIGURE 4 is a cross section view taken through the door and shaver cradle showing how the cradle is pivotable and how it can be secured in its desired position; and

FIGURE 5 is a cross section view showing the micro switch and its actuator with relation to the bottom cabinet wall.

Referring now to the drawings, it will be seen that the cabinet generally designated by the number 10 is generally square in shape having back wall 12, top wall 14, bottom wall 16, and side walls 18 and 20. The front of the cabinet is open with the front of the cabinet provided with a mounting flange 22 which extends completely around the periphery of the front edge of the cabinet.

The open side of the cabinet is covered by the door structure generally designated by the number 26. Door structure 26 has the basic door wall 28 with the small inwardly formed edge flange 30 extending completely there around. Extending generally'horizontally inwardly as integral portions of the top and bottom edge flanges 30 are hinge extensions 32. Said hinge extensions are perhaps half the width of the cabinet in length. As can be seen the hinge extensions 32 are formed nearest the side edge of door 26 which swings inwardly when the door is opened. A hinge means is shown in the drawings, for purposes of illustration only, to be a screw and nut combination 34. Hinge means 34 is located near that edge of the door which will swing inwardly'when the door is open and is also positioned quite close to the door wall 28. Thus the hinge means 34 in each of the extensions 32 is located near the side wall 20 and close to the front edge of the cabinet. In this manner, the extensions 32 point alomst directly rearwardly, when the door is shut, and are in closely spaced relationship to the junction of the side wall 20 with the top and botom walls 14 and 16.

The shaver cradle or holder, generally designated by the number 36, need not take a specific form or design. For purposes of illustration the cradle 36 shown in the drawings will be described. The cradle will have a back wall 38 which contacts the inside surface of door wall 28. Extending outwardly from cradle wall 38 is threaded shaft 40 which extends through a hole provided generally in the center of door wall 28. The threaded shaft 40 can be either formed integrally with cradle back wall 38, as shown in FIGURE 4, or it could be a screw mechanism inserted through holes in both the cradle back wall 38 and the door wall 28. A decorative type closed end nut 41 functions both as a knob for opening and closing the door 26 and to tighten the holder 36 in its desired position on the door by being threadably received on shaft 44 Wall 38 of the shaver cradle is shown to be elongated but is somewhat shorter than the door 26 is wide. Extending generally horizontally outwardly, that is directly away from the lower edge of cradle back wall 38, are cradle supports 42. Said supports 42 are slightly separated from each other. Extending generally upwardly from the ends of cradle supports 42 are cradle flanges 44 which will be formed to accommodate the shape of any shaver. The opposing inside edges of the two cradle supports 42 and flanges 44 provide a space whereby the fingers of the user of the electric shaver are able to grasp its body easily and conveniently. Notched end walls 46 are provided at the outside ends of each of the cradle bases 42 to restrain the shaver from slipping endwise out of the cradle, and to accommodate the shaver extension cord.

The shaver cradle 36 like the cabinet and the door can be made of any suitable metallic or plastic sheet material which is inherently strong and rigid in sheet form and which can be made to appear attractive in forming-this invention. The cradle 36 can be any type of holding means such as a pocket type receiver or a hanger type so long as its position on the inside of the door can be changed about the center pivot point to adjust to the several 'possibie locations of the shaver cabinet. The nature of the mounting of the shaver cradle, as best seen in FIGURES l and 4, permits the cradle to be held in any position through a full 360 de grees of rotation.

It will be noted that the outer end of each of the hinge extensions 32 is provided with a round shallow recess 50. The recess 56 is formed to provide a raised portion on the contact surface as opposed to the inside surfaces of said extensions 32. The extensions 32 are formed so that they form a fairly tight tit with the in side dimensions of the cabinet, namely top and bottom Walls 14 and 16 since it is desirable that the door not swing loosely on its hinges 34. The extension recesses 50 are vdesigned to coincide with and fit into the first or back recesses. 52 formed in the top and bottom walls 14 and 16 respectively. Said first recesses 52 are designed to accommodate the recesses 50 of the extensions 32 when the door is in its full shut position. In this way the door is assured of staying closed and requires only very slight manual pressure on the knob 41 for disengaging the matched recesses 50 and 52 from each other.

Similarly an intermediate or second recess 54 is provided in each of the top and bottom Walls to frictionally retain the door in its nearly full open position.

The top Wall 14 has a full open or third recess 56 designed to hold or help hold the door in its full open position. However, the bottom Wall 16 of the cabinet is not provided with a third recess but it is in fact aligned, directly below top recess 56, with a hole 58 of approximately the same diameter as the various recesses. On the under side of bottom wall 16 directly to the rear of hole 58, as canbe seen in FIGURES 2 to 5, is the plug actuator switch 60. Said plug actuator switch 65 is a conventional microswitch which has extending forwardly therefrom a rigid actuator 62 in the form of an elongated rigid strip made of metal or some other suitable material which extends from the switch proper forwardly directly under bottom wall 16. The outer end of said actuator 62 generally at the point at which it reaches hole 58 is bent upwardly in a curved end. In this manner, the end of actuator 62 actually protrudes upwardly through hole 58 and slightly above the upper side of bottom wall 16. The microswitch 60 is turned on when the door of the cabinet is opened to its full position. The raised portion formed by recess 50 of binge extension 32 rides into said hole 53 forcing actuator 62 down to turn the microswitch 6d onv FIGURE 2 shows that a conventional plug-in socket 6 3 is provided in the bottom wall 16. As is understood by those ski led in the art one side of the electrical supply is brought to the plug 64 through or by way of the microswltch 6t; so that only when door 25 is opened can the plug be electricaily active.

Mounting of this electric shaver cabinet can be accomplished in the conventional manner, either by screw means inserted through the flange 22 or through appropriate holes in the cabinet box. After mounting, the cradle 36 can be pivoted to its most advantageous position and secured by the nut 41.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principle of this invention. Numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, and therefore it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described. Accordingiy all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

A cabinet for wall mounting to a storage facility for electric shavers or the like, comprising:

an open, front, right-rectanguiar, housing suitably proportioned to receive for inactive storage an electric shaver or the lit-1e, the outer Walls of said housing being externally unobstructed,

a door mounted Within the open upright front of said housing and so pivotally associated therewith that its pivot axis is adjacent and within one margin of said open front, and

a storage cradle pivotally mounted substantially at the center of the inner surface of said door to rotate perpendicular to said surface and adapt the same to receive and cradle an electric shaver or the like irrespective of whether said housing is wall mounted so that said door pivot is vertically to the left or to the right or horizontal.

Reterences @ited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,709,121 1/29 De Boer.

2,111,434 3/33 Morrison.

2,181,065 11/39 feifier 3l2223 X 2,412,270 12/46 Johnston 3 l2234 Re. 23,634 3/53 Hewson 3l2209 FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

CHANCELLOR E. HARRES, Examiner. 

